Aruba itineraries: 1 week, 2 weeks and 3 weeks

Aruba is 30 km long and about 10 km wide, so a single base works for every length of trip. Pick the Palm Beach and Noord strip for calm water and restaurants, or Eagle Beach for low-rise hotels and space. Oranjestad suits a first or last night if you want the fort, museum and marina on foot.

Length decides how much you add around the edges, not how many hotels you book. Seven nights covers the beaches, Arikok and San Nicolas with two relaxed days. Ten to fourteen nights lets you fly to Curaçao, and three weeks adds Bonaire for divers. Each island has its own entry form, so check before you book the hops.

Days 1–2: settle on the Palm Beach or Eagle Beach strip. Swim on the west coast, walk the beach at sunset and eat near your hotel. No car needed yet.

Day 3: Oranjestad in the morning. Fort Zoutman, the National Archaeological Museum and Main Street, then the marina. Check the cruise calendar first; ship days crowd the streets.

Day 4: Arikok National Park. Start at opening, carry more water than you think, and see the Fontein and Quadirikiri caves. The Natural Pool road needs a 4x4 or a jeep tour.

Day 5: north coast and California Lighthouse, with a swim at Arashi Beach on the way back.

Day 6: San Nicolas and Baby Beach. Murals in town, then the shallow lagoon; swim only on the west and south coasts.

Day 7: a slow beach day, or a repeat of whichever stop you liked most. Return the car the night before if you have an early flight.

Spend 5–7 nights on the Aruba west coast, then fly to Curaçao for the rest. The AUA–CUR hop is short; book it early because fares rise close to the date.

In Curaçao, base in Willemstad for the waterfront, museums and day trips, and add a west-coast beach day. Curaçao has its own Digital Immigration Card, separate from Aruba's embarkation and disembarkation card, so complete both before travel.

If you would rather stay put, use the second week for diving, a sailing day and the inland villages of Santa Cruz and Paradera instead of a second island.

Aruba 5–7 nights, Curaçao 5 nights, Bonaire 4–5 nights is the standard ABC loop. Bonaire is the diver's island: shore diving and a quiet capital at Kralendijk. Non-divers can still snorkel and walk the town in two days.

Each island has its own entry form and its own car rental rules, so budget a little admin time at each hop. Flights between the three are frequent but small planes fill up; book the middle legs before you leave home.

Three weeks also allows a slower Aruba stay: repeat Arikok at sunrise, take a catamaran, and spend a day in Savaneta for the local food shacks.

Rent a car only for the days you leave the resort strip. Parking at beaches is generally easy outside cruise days. Fuel stations are few in the national park area, so fill up before you go.

The island sits outside the Caribbean hurricane belt for most of the year, but September to November is the wetter, hotter stretch; check the forecast before fixing outdoor days. Trade winds keep the west coast comfortable year-round.

Prices are in Aruban florin, with US dollars widely accepted; confirm the rate a shop or restaurant uses before paying in dollars. Tipping follows US habits in tourist areas.